Austin Nola began his career with the Seattle Mariners. And as he prepares to hang up his cleats, Nola has begun a new adventure back in Seattle.
The Mariners have hired Nola as their new bullpen coach, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. He had originally signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves but opted out to take the Mariners' offer.
Nola spent the first year and a half of his MLB career with the Mariners, appearing in 108. He hit .280 with 15 home runs and 50 stolen bases. But in 2020, he was traded to the San Diego Padres. Ironically enough, it was that deal that sent now closer Andres Munoz to the Mariners.
The catcher spent the majority of his career with the Padres, four years to be exact. Nola wound up hitting .234 with nine home runs and 86 RBIs over 237 games. He was ultimately released in 2023 and didn't appear in the big leagues again until 2025 with the Colorado Rockies. Assuming his playing days are now officially done, Nola ends his career as a .247 hitter with 24 home runs and 137 RBIs.
Now back with the Mariners, Nola will be working with a bullpen highlighted by Munoz's work in the ninth innings. During the 2025 campaign, Seattle's bullpen ranked ninth with their 3.72 ERA. Nola will work to keep the M's towards the top of the ranks.
The fact that both Seattle offered the job and that Nola accepted despite his minor league deal is telling. Clearly the organization still holds him in high regards. While the bullpen job may be low profile at first, maybe it leads to bigger roles for Nola down the line.
